Multipolar Light-Matter Hamiltonians in Symmetry-Breaking Photonic Vacuums

Abstract

We show that the conventional multipolar Hamiltonian is qualitatively modified when the photonic vacuum breaks inversion or time-reversal symmetry. By explicitly applying the Power-Zienau-Woolley transformation, we derive the resulting multipolar Hamiltonians for two idealized chiral photonic environments: a spatial-chiral vacuum, which breaks inversion symmetry, and a temporal-chiral vacuum, which breaks time-reversal symmetry. In the spatial-chiral case, the transformation generates an inversion-breaking self-energy, whereas in the temporal-chiral case it produces an additional Zeeman-like energy. Using a trapped hydrogen-like atom and a charged harmonic oscillator in cavities as minimal examples, we show that these symmetry-dependent terms lead to characteristic spectral shifts. Our work provides a general framework for describing light-matter interactions in chiral quantum electrodynamics and identifying the associated symmetry-dependent effects on cavity-embedded atoms, molecules, and quantum materials.